The fog that appeared on a specific day, the curse from the old man, Kevin’s brother who died unexpectedly…
Suddenly hearing a new rumor, whether out of caution or curiosity, Scott wanted to ask a few more questions.
But it was obvious that the real librarian Kevin didn’t want to talk about this topic, and refused to let his father say more.
Scott couldn’t force them, so he left the library with Dumbledore.
They walked to a street corner park, sat on a bench, and looked at the red St. Magnus Cathedral not far away.
Scott asked, “What do you think of what the old man said, professor?”
Dumbledore said, “Maybe we can ask more residents.”
As he said that, he stood up and chatted with the old woman who was resting on another bench.
His elegant and polite temperament quickly won the favor of the old woman, and the two had a good conversation.
After a while, two more old women walked to the street corner park and naturally joined their conversation.
Dumbledore was undoubtedly very sociable. Several ladies obviously liked him very much, as evidenced by their frequent laughter during the conversation.
About half an hour later, the three ladies reluctantly said goodbye to Dumbledore.
In Scott’s admiring eyes, Dumbledore sat back beside him.
“The local residents were skeptical about the gentleman’s statement.”
He told Scott the news he had found out.
“They may not think that there is really a curse at the Stenness Standing Stone, but out of caution, they try not to approach there on June 21st.”
“Thank you, professor.”
Scott thanked him first.
“This may be a good thing.” He said, “In this way, I don’t have to worry about anyone disturbing my actions.”
Seeing that it was getting dark, the old and the young had dinner in the town and found a hotel to stay in.
After that, Scott went to bed early.
When he woke up again, it was 3 a.m. on June 21st.
After a quick wash, when he walked out of the hotel room, Dumbledore was already standing in the corridor.
“Do you need me to take you there?” Dumbledore asked with a smile.
Scott said, “Oh, thank you, of course, Professor, although I have learned the apparition well, I don’t want the Ministry of Magic to send me a warning letter.”
Dumbledore stretched out his hand, let Scott hold his wrist, and took him to the vicinity of the Stenness Standing Stone.
They were greeted by the sea breeze and the sound of the waves.
The moon hung high above the sea, casting sparkling colors on the deep sea.
The standing stones of various postures stood quietly on this cape, like silent giants.
“What a wonderful night view, isn’t it?”
Dumbledore put his hands behind his back and admired the quiet night in front of him.
Scott looked at his old back and felt a little sorry.
He simply sat on the ground and said to the old headmaster: “Actually, you don’t have to look after me like this.”
“Oh, don’t say that, Scott.”
Dumbledore shook his head.
“Not just you, no matter which student encounters this kind of thing, I will help him like this.”
Scott said from the bottom of his heart: “So, you are a good headmaster.”
But Dumbledore shook his head again.
“As a headmaster, I often feel that I am not successful.”
He said with some regret.
“I know very well that I have not been able to focus all my energy on how to be a good headmaster.”
“Oh, Minerva helped me a lot. She cares more about the school and students than I do.”
Scott looked at the sea under the moonlight.
“So you are not just the headmaster, but also the greatest wizard of this century recognized by everyone.”
Hearing him say this, Dumbledore couldn’t help laughing.
It was not a proud laugh, but a free and easy laugh.
“Do you agree with such compliments, Scott? I want to hear your thoughts. I believe that you must have heard and seen a lot about me.”
Scott also smiled.
He thought for a moment and said, “You have indeed worked hard for the wizarding world and have done a lot, which is not even your responsibility.”
“But I don’t think I have done a good job.” Dumbledore said, “If I were really as great as everyone says, many regrettable things in the past would not have happened.”
Scott felt that the old headmaster was tired of living like this.
No wonder he once said that death is actually like going to bed after a long day.
Finally, rest, these two words have already shown his attitude.
Thinking of this, Scott said again; “I think so…”
Dumbledore turned around and looked at him.
Scott continued: “People think you are great, and you also take on people’s expectations of you. You never thought that it is not your responsibility alone. Even if you do not do it perfectly, it is enough to be called great.”
Whether it is Grindelwald or Voldemort, it is not Dumbledore’s responsibility. When people expect him to solve the problem, he stood up.
Scott understands that it takes a lot of courage to stand up and bear such expectations, but Dumbledore has never backed down.
Facing such an old man, no one can blame him for anything.
So what if it’s not perfect?
He’s just a wizard.
Although powerful, he is not a god.
“Thanks for the compliment, Scott.”
Dumbledore turned around and sat down on the grass like Scott.
“If it were you, what would you choose?” He asked curiously.
Scott shook his head directly.
“I can’t be a savior, nor can I be a leader.” He told the truth, “Compared to you, I am much more selfish.”
He knows himself very well. He thinks more about taking care of himself and has little desire to do well in the world.
Dumbledore was not disappointed.
He just said meaningfully: “Oh, Scott, you won’t predict what choice you will make until the moment of choice.”
“…Maybe.” Scott said.
But he was sure that he would never be able to be like Dumbledore.
Dumbledore said: “Remember, when you heard that Voldemort’s men were attacking Hogwarts, you went back to school without even thinking about it and actively participated in the battle.”
Scott thought about it.
Indeed, the moment he received Professor Flitwick’s communication, his first reaction was to go back.
“I’m worried about my friends,” he said, “but if it wasn’t Hogwarts that was under siege, I probably wouldn’t take action.”
“That’s enough,” said Dumbledore. “That’s enough.”
Hearing him repeat a sentence twice, Scott looked over in confusion.
Under the moonlight, Dumbledore’s beard and hair seemed to be glowing with white light.
Behind the half-moon glasses, his blue eyes looked surprisingly bright.
He didn’t explain anything, he just said to Scott: “You are not me, Scott, and I will not expect my students to become the next me. You just need to be yourself.”
With that said, he stood up again.
Accompanied by a melodious cry, the fiery red phoenix came out of hiding and landed on his shoulder.
“You’re right about one thing, Scott.”
He raised his hand and touched Fox’s gorgeous wings.
“This is your adventure.”
Scott stood up too.
“So, I will not rashly participate in your actions, but will watch you from the sidelines.”
Dumbledore said again.
“But please remember, when I judge that you are in danger, I will take you directly out of here…”
After speaking, his figure, together with Fox standing on his shoulder, slowly became transparent in the moonlight until it disappeared.
“Thank you, Professor.”
Scott said loudly and sat down again.
He took off the backpack on his back, took out his notebook, and compared it with the documents he had transcribed to find out where the destroyed “Odin Stone” had been.
Then, he stood up again, walked to the area where the “Odin Stone” had existed, and took a closer look.
Unfortunately, he still found nothing.
At the same time, he had more questions in his mind.
Kevin said his brother had an accident here, but it was just a flat meadow with nothing but standing stones.
In such a place, even if it is shrouded in thick fog, the probability of an accident is extremely small and almost impossible.
Could it be possible that his brother could be killed by crashing his head on a standing stone?
Shaking his head, Scott paused for a moment under all the standing stones and installed his prepared “eyes” on each standing stone.
Finally he reached the edge of the headland and faced the sea.
He waited quietly until Rimbaud descended from the sky with a black crowd of crows.
“Long time no see.” Rimbaud stopped directly on Scott’s shoulder, “My friend.”
Scott smiled, “Long time no see, my friend, thank you for your hard work.”
Rimbaud jumped, turned around, and looked at the standing stones behind Scott.
“Is this here?” it said curiously, “It doesn’t look like there’s anything magical about it.”
“Maybe it’s because it’s not time yet,” Scott said.
He turned around and looked at the standing stone as well.
“However, this place is very much like a sea of oak trees.” Rimbaud added, “I mean the stones around the largest oak tree.”
Scott nodded.
It’s indeed very similar.
But there is not only one similar Stonehenge on the British Isles. Not to mention the Broadgate Stone Circle, which is only 1.2 kilometers away from here, the Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England is even more world-famous. .
However, compared to the Holy Tree Stonehenge in the Sea of Oaks and the Stonehenge in Salisbury Plain, the stones of the Stenness Standing Stone are still different.
The standing stones here are very thin and look more like irregularly shaped stone monuments.
“Let the crows pass,” said Scott.
Rimbaud nodded and chirped a few times.
In an instant, all the crows that had fallen on the grass around Scott took off.
Like a dark cloud, they flew around the standing stone for several times, and then landed one after another.
Soon, there were crows all over the standing stone, as well as inside and outside the circle surrounding the standing stone.
“Now, let’s wait for the sunrise.”
Scott turned back to face the sea, sat cross-legged, and looked at the moon that was about to sink to the bottom of the sea.
When the moon sank in the west, the horizon in the east and the horizon quietly changed.
“Here we go,” Rimbaud said.
“Um.”
Scott slowly stood up.
Where the sea and the sky meet, the blue sky slowly turns purple, and then a faint red appears.
That is the harbinger of the rising sun.
Silence.
Terribly quiet.
I don’t know when, the sound of the rolling waves and the blowing sea breeze disappeared.
Scott realized that he couldn’t hear any sound. He turned his head and looked at Rimbaud, but he couldn’t hear what he was saying.
[The Land of Silence, the tower extending to the center of the earth. ]
Is this what the Land of Silence means?
Scott reached out and touched Rimbaud’s feathers, soothing his restlessness.
He turned around and found that he could no longer see the grass connected to the roots of the standing stones.
I don’t know when, a layer of white fog covered the entire grassland.
The fog rolled, like accumulated water, and the “water level” slowly rose.
Soon, the thick fog had submerged half of the standing stones.
Scott stood on the edge of the cape, quietly watching this magical scene.
The rolling fog seemed to be restricted by the trench outside the standing stones.
The inside and outside of the trench were almost two different worlds.
At this moment, Scott saw a brighter color in the corner of his eyes.
He turned his head and looked to the east.
At the horizon, the area of the red glow was spreading, infecting half of the sky.
Where the brightest color was, the rising sun that had not yet appeared was obviously about to come out.
Scott still couldn’t hear any more sounds.
He tried to open his mouth and say a few words.
He could feel the vibration of his throat and chest, but he couldn’t hear a single sound.
He felt Rimbaud jump on his shoulder and pat him with his wings.
Scott glanced at it, and then followed its guidance to look at the standing stones.
At this time, the inside of the circle of trenches had turned into a white world.
Only a small section of the highest standing stones was not submerged in the thick fog.
Scott took out the [Magic Mirror] and checked the images monitored by his “eyes” installed on the standing stones.
But the fog was too thick and he couldn’t see anything.
Looking back at the sun with a golden edge, Scott walked forward for a distance, came to the edge of the trench, and spread out his magic perception.
But he was surprised to find that he had failed.
The magical perception that was always effective before, after entering the fog, was like a drop in the ocean, completely melted away.
Scott could not sense anything in the fog.
His face became a little solemn.
This place was indeed very abnormal.
Abnormal beyond imagination.
Without the magical perception that was always effective, Scott felt like he was experiencing blindness for the first time, and felt extremely uncomfortable.
He was about to forget how he had survived when he could not sense his surroundings in the past.
Rimbaud patted him with his wings again.
Scott looked at the sea again.
At this time, the golden sun had already peeked out from the horizon and reflected a golden road on the sea.
The light of the morning sun shone on the thick fog in the circle of standing stones, like watercolor, dyeing the white fog with a thin layer of warm color.
But Scott was a little confused at this time.
[Island of the Far North Islands, the day with the longest daylight, the place where the shadow of the standing stone points to. ]
Where did the shadow of the standing stone shrouded in thick fog come from?
